


A Commander and His SIC

by WhenTheMoonShines



Series: Better creatures could love you, I know. [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brock is an Idiot, First Kiss, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pre-Relationship, STRIKE is Not Hydra, The STRIKE Team Totally Has a Bet on Them Hooking Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-12 00:04:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20554916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheMoonShines/pseuds/WhenTheMoonShines
Summary: It had been the Sunday before: Brock had just finished up his report and knew Jack was about to finish his workout in the gym. Brock had went to find Jack and ask if he'd like to grab a bite on the way home. Jack wasn't in the gym so Brock went to the locker room. It had been empty too, but Brock had heard the showers running and someone’s voice echoing between the walls. Jack’s chuckle had been unmistakable, and Brock could still hear him saylean back, that’s it. It was followed by a groan from someone else and Brock wasn’t about to stay and listen to more of that.[Edited 15.03.2020]----Or: Brock misheard something and as a result he got jealous and decided to have a meaningless one night stand. Now he's low-key ashamed and really wants Jack to be jealous too. These boys need to get their shit together. (They do.)





	A Commander and His SIC

**Author's Note:**

> Brock and Jack are minor characters in an elaborate Bucky Barnes/Lucy Barton (OC) story I'm probably never going to finish. I liked them in my little AU though, and I wanted to expand their relationship in a space of their own. So this is a sort of "behind the scenes" or "meanwhile" of that AU story.
> 
> STRIKE team Alpha consists of Brock Rumlow, Jack Rollins, Emmet Smith (OC), Amanda " Mandy" Johnson (OC) and Robin Murphy (OC). None of them are Hydra agents, so they're all good guys.  
I'm sure I have stolen the names or characterisation of similar OC's from someone else, but can't for the life of me figure out from where.

“Hey boss, you’re late”, Mandy greeted Brock when he knocked on the door.

“Everyone else’s just early”, Brock grumbled back at her as he entered the room. STRIKE was already there waiting in the small apartment next to the one they would be watching over the upcoming weeks.

“We tried to contact you”, Emmet said him from over at the table with all the surveillance gear. He and Murphy had set it up just minutes before, and now Jack was double-checking it to make sure everything was running as it should. Jack was leaning over the table and glanced up at Brock, his gaze lingering on the Commander's un-styled hair. Brock couldn’t resist running a hand through his hair as he pointedly ignored the turning feeling of shame in his stomach. It looked like Jack knew Brock was wearing yesterday's clothes. 

“Battery died”, Brock shrugged. They all knew it hadn’t. Jack had called him a couple of times; Brock had blocked the calls twice before turning off his phone. It only came back online an hour before Brock arrived at the facility because that's when he had turned it on again. Emmet had been by Brock’s apartment to pick him up as soon as the team had gotten their assignment in the morning, but Brock hadn’t been home.

Murphy looked at Brock's neck in a pointed interest when Brock walked by. “Fun night?” He casually asked the commander. “You’ve got a bit of something right-”.

Brock grabbed Murphy’s wrist mid-air as the agent was reaching to poke at Brock's neck.

“Mind your own damn business”, Brock shoved Murphy to the side and rubbed at his neck where Murphy had been staring. When Brock looked down at his hand it was stained red from smudged lipstick. His stomach turned again, but he blamed it on not eating any breakfast. It's not like he had time to grab any before slipping out the door of his one-night-stand’s apartment.

She had been a short blonde with nails long as claws and she’d been real pretty on her knees, though she hadn’t looked half as pretty in the morning as Brock remembered from the bar the night before. He had liked her better before he learned her name too. Honestly Brock wouldn’t have cared what her name was, but halfway through fucking she had told him it was Jaqueline. After that he had just shoved her face first into the mattress and pounded her until he came. She thought his sudden roughness was hot and had moaned a bit too loudly for his liking. Brock had finger fucked her afterwards to make up for coming so fast (she had been even louder then).

Brock would never remember (or care) that it wasn’t quite _Jaqueline_ he had grunted as he came.

“I read the brief on my way over. I see the system’s all set up”, Brock easily slipped into work-mode and was almost relieved that he had something else to think about.

They divided themselves into rotating pairs for the surveillance (as usual) and decided that two people didn’t have to be awake at night watching the screens as long as the other person was in the room and could take half the shift. Both Lucy and James would be working in the training facility during the day, and STRIKE was only on duty on the couple's off-hours. STRIKE would have plenty of free time for their own workouts and training. 

\---

“You’re quiet”, Brock finally broke the silence.

He and Jack had been teamed up for the first watch more out of habit than anything else. Surveillance was never exciting but right now it was extra boring since neither Lucy nor James were even in the apartment yet. Brock usually had something to talk about or played some music or found some stupid game… This time he was however painfully aware of how quiet Jack was. Two hours in Brock was getting tired of being ignored.

Jack didn't answer and still more or less avoided eye-contact. Somehow that bothered Brock more than the silent treatment. Jack was a man of few words by nature, but Brock had long since learned to interpret the man's body language and small sounds like huffs and grunts. Not to mention all the meaningful glances. Hell, Brock was damn near fluent in Jack Rollins eye-contact by now. But with Jack barely looking at Brock the silence felt amplified. Brock really hated it.

“What did I do, hm?” Brock took a chair and dragged it up to Jack and sat down close enough for their knees to touch. “Are you pissed because I didn’t answer your calls yesterday?”

Jack snorted. He was reclined in his chair and kept looking at the screens showing the empty apartment and corridor. Brock knew the sound meant Jack thought Brock was completely wrong and an idiot for not realising it.

“Okay, then what?” Brock continued to prod. “You’re avoiding me – it’s distracting”, Brock said and that finally got Jack to tear his eyes from the screen and look at him.

“Me? You’ve been closed off the whole week”, Jack pointed out.

“No, I haven’t?”

Jack sighed and leaned forward in his chair, his hand gently brushing up against Brock’s knee that had been wedged in the v of Jack’s legs when Brock sat down. Brock recoiled a little when Jack’s fingers brushed over his leg. “See. You act like you got burned if we as much as nudge you outside of training. Tuesday you left the bar early and you’re never home when we come to check on you”, Jack put his hand on Brock’s leg for real this time. Brock could feel the warmth of his hand through the fabric.

“Yeah, okay. I’ve had a lot on my mind”, Brock admitted. It wasn’t like it was a big deal. “Don’t explain you shutting me out. And if it’s not the calls, then what? You jealous I got laid? You shouldn’t be, I know you and agent Halladay had some fun in the showers.”

It had been the Sunday before: Brock had just finished up his report and knew Jack was about to finish his workout in the gym. Brock had gone to find Jack and ask if he'd like to grab a bite on the way home. Jack wasn't in the gym, so Brock went to the locker room. It had also been empty, but Brock had heard the showers running and someone’s voice echoing between the walls. Jack’s chuckle had been unmistakable, and Brock could still hear him say _lean back, that’s it_. It was followed by a groan from someone else and Brock wasn’t about to stay and listen to more of that. The next day Brock found out Jack had stayed late sparring with agent Halladay.

“You think I fucked Halladay?!” Jack looked at Brock in disbelief.

“The groans were pretty convincing”, Brock deflected. He regretted opening his mouth and now he couldn't look Jack in the face.

“No, that’s not… Wait, were you jealous?” Jack’s voice was gentle. Soft even.

“Are _you_?” Brock shot back defiantly and dared to look up at Jack. The other man grimaced. Brock’s heart took a suicide jump straight to his stomach.

"You must've been black-out drunk", Jack snorted. “I was at the bar to check up on you. You walked right past me on your way home with your date with the claws."

“You could’ve said something”, Brock frowned.

“Didn’t want to ruin the night for you. And, for the record, I helped Halladay with a nosebleed”.

Brock vaguely registered that Jack had been stroking his thumb over Brock’s leg for a little while now. The gesture was soothing, but Brock should’ve probably pulled away as soon as Jack put his hand on his leg.

“Fucking Halladay”, Brock mumbled and rubbed his hands over his face. Jack’s chuckle wasn’t half as annoying as it should’ve been.

“Did you know the team has a betting pool?” Brock asked and wasn’t even sure why he brought it up.

“Huh?”

“A betting pool. On you and me – us. They’ve got a bet on us hooking up”, Brock clarified. He had to clear his throat a little when it suddenly felt like his voice would give out.

“We bet on all kinds of stupid shit”, Jack reminded Brock. They did. STRIKE often had several bets up and running at the same time. It was a way to pass time. “I bet Barton already lost”, Jack added as an afterthought.

That made Brock smile, “I’m sure he has.”

Jack wasn’t smiling though, and he drew back his hand from where it had been touching Brock.

“You can’t keep doing this”, Jack’s voice was too low, too serious. Brock kept quiet for once. “I don’t – I can’t… I mean… You can’t blow us all off for a week and then get mad at me for not liking what you’re doing. You can fuck whoever you want – just stop being a pain in the ass about it. And stop bugging me for a reaction. Besides, what _I_ _think_ shouldn’t matter to you-”

“Would it be so bad if it did?” Brock interrupted when Jack trailed off.

Jack hadn't expected that. He frowned and his leg bumped against Brock's almost involuntarily.

"I'm so fucking sick of wanting to kiss you", Jack glared at their knees. "You'd probably knock me out if I tried, but it's like you live off the attention. As soon as I try to forget about it you go fuck someone and act like I should be jealous."

Brock stood up and Jack instinctively leaned back in his chair to give Brock more room. For a second Jack was sure he would get punched, but all Brock did was to crowd Jack against the chair and made Jack move a bit backwards in the seat. Brock placed a knee on the chair between Jack's legs and hovered over the other man.

“How 'bout I kiss you, hm?” Brock asked and placed a hand at the back of Jack’s neck. 

Bock wasn’t overly affectionate with anyone, but he was definitely more tactile than most people would think. A clasped shoulder here and a nudge there was common among the STRIKE team, but Brock guessed he touched Jack more than the others. They spent almost all their free time together and lately they had more or less lived at each other’s apartments. It wasn't like either of them actively had sought out someone else to spend their lives with, so they fell into the familiarity of spending time with each other. God knows why they hadn’t kissed yet. 

"Or do you want a date first?" Brock teased.

Jack gave him an unimpressed look. “I’d say we’re past a kiss at the door at this point”. Brock just went with it when Jack’s big hands reached out to touch him. One hand was placed on Brock’s thigh and the other came to rest on Brock’s forearm to keep Brock’s arm in place around Jack’s neck.

“Commander”.

“Hm?” Brock had gotten distracted stroking Jack’s neck now that he was this close.

“Do it if you're going to”.

“Really, you’re making demands now? And I call myself the CO”, Brock shook his head but leaned in to do as Jack said.

The angle wasn’t ideal, and it was just a simple dry press of lips against lips, but they grinned at each other afterwards.

Jack leaned in for a second, deeper, kiss and Brock smiled against his lips before returning the kiss. They made out a little before Brock broke off to mouth at Jack’s neck. He had an urge to suck a mark on Jack’s neck but decided against it and pulled up again for another kiss.

That was when Brock happened to look over Jack's head and at the screen beside them. He was reminded that they were in fact supposed to be working. “Shit. Alright, we’ve got to stop”, Brock regretfully had to pull away and get off Jack’s chair.

When Jack turned to look at the screen, he saw that the rest of the STRIKE team were walking through the corridor outside. God forbid the team walked in on their commander in the second-in-command’s lap. The teasing would be relentless.

“Later though”, Brock promised and gave Jack one last biting kiss before sitting down in his own chair. Jack hummed in agreement. A quick look at the watch told Jack they had a couple hours left until their shift ended. It would be impossible to find some alone time until then but… yeah, later.

“Stop smiling you idiot”, Brock scolded him, but Jack saw he was smiling too.

Jack had time to reach over and punch Brock in the shoulder before the others arrived. It almost started a pointless wrestling match but by the time the rest of the team came through the door Brock and Jack were nothing but professional. They hadn’t gotten where they were without being able to keep themselves in check when needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)


End file.
